Hating Myself, Loving Him
by Digiatsu
Summary: Kagamine Len has always been at the top of his game... but what will happen when he falls in love with another vocaloid? Normally, this would be no problem, he would just go and confess... but this case is a bit different. Len has fallen in love with a boy! Plus, he has Tei to worry about... Len x Piko, Rated T for violence. Len's POV. Image is not mine.
1. Chapter 1

I was awakened by the sound of birds chirping happily in the cold, bare branches outside. It was almost winter, but the feathered creatures still sang. I sat up, facing the window from which the tune was resonating.

The sun was just now peering over the skyline. Its golden beams touched my face delicately, like a pair of warm hands. I closed my eyes, almost seeing someone doing so, holding my face with their hands tenderly, making my heart flutter. I blinked a couple of times, and the sensation was gone. I was left alone once more.

I threw the covers off and the cold air washed over me. I shivered and clutched my bare arms. I hurried to my dressing room and threw on my usual clothing and brushed my hair.

I looked into the mirror. My reflection stared back at me. My blonde hair was in its usual style; clumps of golden hair protruding from the front, and a short high ponytail pulled up in the back. My azure eyes shone like bright pools of sky. My skin was a pale apricot that bore no faults. I pushed a strand of flaxen hair out of my face, and then retreated to my desk to fetch my things for school.

Once I was ready, I made my way to the front of the dorm building, where I found my sister waiting for me. The chilly breeze stung my face as a ran to her.

"Good morning, Len-kun!" she greeted me. She was almost my height with blonde hair that stopped at her shoulders. She wore pins on either side of her hair enclosing her face. A puffy bow rested on her head. She had the same eyes and skin that I had. It made sense to say she was my twin; we looked ever so similar.

"Len, I hear that there is going to be a new vocaloid at school today!" She twittered happily.

"Do you know much about them, Rin?" I asked, fascinated.

"No, all I know is that it's a Japanese Sony vocaloid." Rin relied.

"Sony? We haven't had a Sony vocaloid yet." I observed. "This should be an interesting day."

"I wonder if it'll already know us. After all, we're Crypton vocaloids!"

As she finished saying this, a maroon car halted in front of us. The window rolled down to reveal Meiko and Kaito.

"Oh crap, Meiko's driving." Rin whispered.

"Hey kids, hop in already! You're gonna be late for school!" Meiko called, waving with a glass bottle of sake in hand.

"She's been drinking too. Uh oh." I ground my teeth fretfully.

Rin shrugged and we made our way to the vehicle.

"Hey guys," Kaito smiled as we got in. "Sorry that Meiko's driving. She insisted, and I didn't want to argue with her."

"You better not want to unless you wanna get hurt!" Meiko snapped.

"Well we're gonna get hurt either way…" Kaito muttered inaudibly.

The engine roared, making my stomach lurch in anxiety. We were certainly doomed. By the look on Rin's face, she knew it too.

Meiko cackled and floored the gas pedal, causing us to hit the back of the seats. "Waaaah, Meiko! Slow down!" Kaito pleaded, grasping the armrests. Meiko unheeded him and sped on, laughing like a maniac.

By the time we reached school, I was too traumatised to walk straight. My limbs were unstable and my face was as pale as a ghost. Rin and Kaito were the same way. Meiko stumbled out of the car, still laughing crazily. "See, told you I could drive." She crowed.

"Let's just go to school, Meiko." Kaito recommended shakily.

As soon as we opened the doors, we were met by countless voices. Chatter resounded around us. I said my farewells to Kaito, Meiko, and Rin, and then pressed through the mass of vocaloids.

I got my things for the day from my locker, and then headed to homeroom. I wondered when that new vocaloid would come.

I made my way to a seat in the front of the class. I lay my head on my desk for a few moments, dozing off, but then awakening when someone tapped my shoulder.

"Eh, yeah, what is it?" I yawned, looking up.

Before me was a vocaloid I had never seen before. It had light silver hair with one strand of it protruding from the top of its head. One of its eyes was a deep jade, the other a blazing sapphire. I caught a glimpse of a USB tail waving behind it.

"May I sit next to you?" the vocaloid asked kindly. Its voice was charming and flowed naturally, like a river.

This must have been the new vocaloid.

"Yeah, sure." I replied coolly.

"Thank you." The vocaloid gave a small bow and had a seat next to me.

As soon as it did, I started to wonder what gender it was. It was really hard to tell. I didn't want to inquire it; that might be offensive. I would have to wait until further clarification until I jumped to conclusions.

Still, either way, it was beautiful in some way. I wasn't sure what it was about this one, but I was instantly attached to it. I hoped with all of my might it would be a girl.

The teacher called role.

"Kagamine Len."

"Here," I replied.

A few more names passed.

"Utatane Piko."

"Here," the vocaloid next to me said.

Its name was still not enough to tell the gender, frustrating me further. I needed to know right now.

"Um, Piko," I cleared my throat.

"Yes?" The vocaloid looked at me.

"I hope you don't take offence to this, but… which gender are you?" I asked, embarrassed by my lack of knowledge.

The other vocaloid chuckled softly. "I'm a boy." He seemed to not care that I had asked such a question.

Oh no. That was the answer I was hoping this vocaloid wouldn't give.

Because I knew from the first look at him I was in love.


	2. Chapter 2

At that moment I felt utterly hopeless. I wanted to hide in a corner and cry forever. How could I do this to myself? Why did it have to be _him_? I was a boy. He was a boy. There was no way we would work out.

Piko must have noticed my antagonising. He looked at me, concerned. "Are you okay, Len?"

It really pissed me off the way he was looking at me. He looked so innocent, so clueless… it made me wonder if he knew anything about the ugly in the world.

"Yeah… yeah, of course." I lied.

"Len, you don't seem too happy now. You were doing fine earlier until… I said I was a boy... are you sure there's nothing else that's wrong?" He tilted his head to one side.

That look again. It drove me crazy. _Quit asking me! Why can't you shut up and leave me alone?! This is all your fault in the first place! _I wanted to scream at him. Instead I said, "I'm fine." In the most tranquil voice I could manage. "Excuse me." I muttered, and exited the classroom without letting Piko object.

I ran as fast as I could to the bathroom. Once I was alone, I broke down completely. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I sobbed quietly, my shoulders trembling.

I hated these feelings. I hated love. I hated myself.

I wiped the tears from my eyes. Get yourself together. Quit acting like a total wimp. You've only just met him. You can't possibly like him when you hardly know him.

I knew this was only partially true. I had heard of "love at first sight." I had a feeling this curse had been bestowed upon me.

I wished he would go back to where he came from. I wish he never existed. He was… too good to be true. He was too perfect.

I remembered his face, every feature etched into my mind. His eyes were like two precious gems; a glimmering sapphire, and a charming emerald. They complimented each other perfectly, one not greater than the other.

His silver hair reminded me other the moon's light. Any amount of light that was cast upon it illuminated the boy's complexion. The one stray clump of hair that stuck up on the top of his head was a nice touch, always swaying whenever he moved.

I was surely not worthy of him. I could never be with this vocaloid. He would never love me back anyways. There was nothing special about me, as there was with him. Even though I was popular, it was only because of the company I came from; Crypton Future Media. None of us Crypton vocaloids were very original, once you think about it.

I shouldn't overthink this. Calm down, Len. Just get over him and you'll be fine. But it wasn't that simple. His image still haunted my mind.

I heard voices outside. Classes were starting. I composed myself and started back to homeroom. On the way, Piko stopped me.

"You left your things, and I didn't want someone to steal them." Piko explained kindly.

"Thanks." I gave him my best fake smile.

"Len-kun, could you show me where I'm supposed to go?" He asked.

Len-kun. That's what he called me. I never thought this would make me so worked up. Rin called me this every day. But when he said it, it was different somehow.

"You might have a different schedule… here, let me have a look at it." I offered, masking my emotions.

Piko handed me a piece of paper that held his schedule for the day. I took a look at it. I felt anger boiling inside of me. "Huh. We have all of our classes together." I observed.

"Oh, that's great!" Piko cheered. He was clearly excited to have me in his classes.

I nodded, fake-smiling again.

"We have choir first." I explained. "We actually have choir twice a day; one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon."

"I guess that's the way it would be here, since we're vocaloids and our purpose is to sing." Piko replied.


	3. Chapter 3

I showed him the way to the choir room. Vocaloids were already filling the seats.

"We have assigned seats. It depends on our range or gender." I pointed to the boy's section. "That's the guy's chairs. Then on either side of us are the sopranos and altos, which are all girls." I clarified.

"Where do I sit, then?" Piko gave me a helpless look.

"I guess you'll have to wait until sensei assigns you a seat." I shrugged.

I made my way to a seat as Piko talked to the choir director. The choir director pointed over near to me, and Piko scurried over, sitting next to me.

"I said I wanted to sit next to you, and sensei said it was okay." He beamed.

He _wanted_ to sit next to me. He seemed to be quite fond of me already. I guess you could say the same for me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bring myself to hate this vocaloid, no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to be closer to him. I wanted to know everything about him. It was no use trying to escape these feelings now. I hoped I would get over him soon.

"Hey, Len, who's this?" Rin's voice wrenched me from my thoughts. "Oh, this is the new vocaloid." I replied.

"Awww, how cute!" Rin squealed happily. "What's your name?" She asked Piko.

"Pi-Piko. Utatane Piko." Piko rubbed his shoulder nervously.

"That's a nice name." Rin grinned. "It looks like you've already met my brother."

"Y-Yeah." I observed that he was shy around Rin, but not around me. It was a bit odd. I'd only just met him anyways.

"Well, class is starting! See you later, Piko~!" Rin sang and skipped to the soprano section.

"She's your sister?" Piko looked at me.

"Yeah, my twin to be exact." I said.

"You look a lot alike." He commented.

A few tapping sounds came from the front of the room, signaling silence. I hushed Piko and turned to the front.

"Good morning, vocaloids. We have some very exciting news today~." Sensei waved his baton. "We have been gifted a new vocaloid from Sony!" He cheered. "Please welcome our newest vocaloid, Utatane Piko!"

Instinctively, Piko pranced up to the front, facing the class. I could hear happy murmurs from the others, obviously pleased with this new vocaloid.

"He-Hello, I am Utatane Piko. I look forward to attending this school." He gave a little bow, the strand of hair on his head bouncing as he did so.

The vocaloids clapped (and I could even hear some squeals) as Piko made his way back to his seat. Sensei tapped his music stand with his baton and the class went silent again.

"Let's warm up with Do-Re-Mi." Sensei held out his baton to begin conducting.

"Guys, you will start singing first, then the altos, then sopranos. Okay?" He started waving his rod rhythmically.

He pointed to us, and we opened our mouths to sing. As we did, I tried to focus on the new voice.

Piko's voice was beautiful. The words flowed so naturally from his lips. I noticed as we reached the top of the scale he had a very wide range; he could sing well low or high, even better than I could. He could change notes well too.

The tune ended and sensei dropped his baton. "Well done. You all are improving on your 'L's quite nicely." He complimented. "Now, I would like to begin with an old Japanese folk song…"


	4. Chapter 4

Choir had ended, and some vocaloids stayed to meet Piko.

"Ahonge buddies!" SF-A2 Miki grinned and pointed to the salmon hook-shaped stand of hair which crested her hair.

Piko laughed with her and conversed. It made me feel angry for some reason. Was I… jealous? I thought about it for a second. Surely I was; I wanted to shove Miki away and keep Piko all to myself.

I couldn't do that to him. It was cruel of me to isolate him. Still, I felt a burning rage to anyone who neared him.

"Ah, Len, I see you've made a friend~!" I looked to find Miku beaming at me. "You guys are a-dor-a-ble!" She squealed.

"Individually, right?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that too, but you guys also look great together~!" Miku sang.

"Together?! What the heck, Miku! We've only just met and we can't possibly be 'together'!" I snapped angrily.

"I didn't mean in that way…" Miku blinked innocently. "Why did you think I was?" She asked.

I felt my face heat up. Everyone was staring at me, including Piko. "Th-that's just what it sounded like!" I retorted. "And it sounded like something you would say!" I added.

Miku giggled. "Gosh Len, you don't have to get all worked up about it!" she put her hands on her hips and pouted artificially.

"Just… forget this happened, okay? I'm sorry…" I apologized in a bitter tone.

My face gradually returned to normal, and suddenly I wanted to cry.

I held in the tears, looking over at Piko, who was giving me a troubled look.

"Next class will be starting soon." Miki broke the silence. "We should get going."

Everyone nodded, and we exited the choir room wordlessly. I had quite possibly ruined my friendship with Piko already.

But, to my surprise, Piko walked to me. "It's okay." He assured, smiling faintly.

That was all he needed to say to assure me. It wasn't a huge deal, anyways, right?

The first class of the day was English. This English class was only for the Japanese Vocaloids. Our teacher was Megurine Luka, an English and Japanese speaking vocaloid. She spoke both languages very well.

I showed Piko to the classroom, which was adorned with posters reading simple English words.

"Ooh, English… I can't speak a single word in English." Piko murmured.

"There's always time to learn." A soothing feminine spoke. It was Luka. "You must be the new student?" She inquired.

"Yes ma'am." Piko replied firmly. He never ceased to surprise me. He had so many personalities… I guess it depended on who he was with. Around friends, he was optimistic and joyful. Around strangers, he was timid and shy. Around adults, he spoke with a tight, polite, and respectful tone.

"Ah, I heard you were coming. What a coincidence! You get to sit next to your little friend here~" Luka observed, looking at a seating chart.

"I'm sure you're going to love it here. _Most_ people around here are nice. But there are a few who get on my nerves…" The teacher looked off to the side, gritting her teeth.

With that, she went back to her desk and toyed with some papers until class started.

The day was long and I was exhausted by the end of it. I had been pushed, pulled, and shoved around by my useless emotions like a helpless child lost in a crowd.

How long would I have to endure this?

"Leeeen~!" Rin shouted to me and waved to me from the parking lot where Meiko's sanguine car was parked.

I was relived to find that Kaito would be driving. But something not-so-reliving was that another new but familiar somebody would be joining us for our ride; that's right, none other than Utatane Piko.

Again, my emotions went wild. I felt irritated yet pleased to see him. I sought him to be here, but at the same time I didn't.

The two opposing emotions met like frigid breeze and warm gale. The two collided, dancing and spinning into and around each other, than spiralling into a vehement tempest.

This storm raged inside of me, filled with vicious infatuation, growing and rising deep inside of my chest.

In the midst of my inner chaos, my appearance remained emotionless. My lips curled into a compulsory smile. It was pathetically fake.

I didn't pay attention to what anyone said. I simply slid into the window seat by Rin, gazing out the window as she tried to converse with Piko. I could feel his soft gaze burning into me, bursting into flames. The fire engulfed my entire being in a fiery craze.

I slumped against the car door and shut out the word. I could shut out Meiko and her slurred speech. I could shut out Rin, with her excited, loud voice. I could shut out Kaito in his silent driving. But I couldn't shut _him_ out.

Just a short car ride had me drained again. It was only now that _he_ had come that my tough shell had been shattered so easily. My casing was as strong as a mountain, but he had broken it like it was thin china. Now my fleshy, exposed heart was beating inside of me, completely susceptible to anyone who accidentally pierced it.

Tears swam around in my eyes, filling them and threatening to spill out. I held them back painfully. My tears were the emissions of my bleeding heart. It had been torn wide open. My chest was tight with distress, showing my damaged heart as well.

Again, something so small had broken me. Simply a look from _him_ could cause such things. He was holding me captive just being himself. It wasn't his fault, but I wanted to blame him so badly.

_God, please free me from this imprisonment. _


	5. Chapter 5

Rin and I departed from the car, stepping onto the weathered concrete sidewalk on the side of the road. We waved to the three other Vocaloids and started walking to our dorms.

"Hey, Leeeen…?" Rin asked once we were out of earshot. "Why are you so stressed?" she eyed me with concern.

I yearned to tell her everything. I wanted to hug her and spill out all of my emotions and my tears. She was the closest person to me.

But I couldn't bring myself to. It wasn't an option. Not even she could know I was…

Then a word I had never considered struck me like a brick. What I was… what I always be.

_A homosexual._

"It's nothing." I assured her, shooing the disappointing thought away.

"Len, don't lie to a girl! Especially if it's your sister!" She scolded.

I sighed. I knew I couldn't get out of her knowing something was definitely wrong with me.

"I can't tell you." I answered. This only further deepened the trouble for me, however.

"Tell me! Or else I'll get the road roller and run you over, then steal all of your bananas and you can watch as I run them over and _burn them_!" She threatened.

"You wouldn't" I walked into the dorm lobby and pushed the elevator button.

"Ohoho~! I would, and you know it!" She cackled as the elevator doors slid open.

I decided to ignore her, even though my heart burned to tell her.

I pressed the floor 2 button and the doors closed.

"I'll have to guess, then…" Rin crossed her arms and thought for a second, aloud.

"Let's see… you've never acted so… what's the word… flustered. And something big _did _happen; that newbie came to school." She muttered.

"It's about Piko!" She declared as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

"No." I lied. "I'm not telling you, even if you were right." I tried to ditch her, but she grabbed my arm and jerked me backwards.

"It's him. I know it. And there's only one thing that you would be ashamed of about him…" She clutched my arm tightly and pulled me into her room and slammed the door.

"You have a crush on him!" She shouted as she did.

I don't know what made me do it, but I immediately burst into tears after she said it. Maybe it was because she had figured out. Maybe it was too hard to hear it spoken aloud. But I cried.

Her aggressive stare turned soft as I buried my face in my hands and fell to my knees before her.

She kneeled down beside me. "Is that it?" Her tone had changed as well. She spoke quietly and carefully.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and was silent in reply.

That was all she needed to know that the answer to that question; yes.

"I-It's awful, Rin! I h-hate these feelings!" I sobbed as the tears continued to flow. "A-And I can't g-get rid of them! T-They make me s-so weak! Like th-this!"

Rin wrapped her arms around me comfortingly.

We stayed like that for a while; me crying into her shoulder, and she embracing me.

After my fit of crying was over, I looked into her eyes. They were gentle and thoughtful.

"… Do you still accept me?" I asked.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" Rin smiled tenderly.

"I just thought you would be so disappointed in me…" I replied, looking off the side.

"Len, you're my brother, and I'll always love you, no matter what you are." She assured.

"Th-Thank you…" I sniffled.


	6. Chapter 6

Sleep had fallen upon me quickly. My eyes were sore from crying, and my heart was the same from being torn in every direction all at once.

Fog obscured my vision as I wandered in a vast swamp. No trees grew. There was only dried, stubby grass and water pooling around the grass.

I roamed for an eternity, it seemed. While roaming, I heard soft voices speaking in inaudible whispers. They seemed familiar, as if they were distant childhood friends I had known for only a short time.

I followed them to a small pond. I couldn't see the bottom. The fog was cleared around it and I could see the entirety.

I waded mindlessly into the cool water and deeper into the pool. The water swallowed me, and I saw faces floating in the depths of the water.

The faces were translucent and ghostly. They were gleaming white with thin flesh barely clinging to their faces. Their eyes and mouths were open empty pits. They were strangely beautiful, yet terrifying.

A bony hand reached out to me. I grasped it gently, afraid of breaking the fragile fingers.

It pulled me into the abyss. The faces surrounded me and stared at me with their bottomless eyes, their mouths remaining wide.

I was calm for only a second. After that brief moment slipped away, my lungs began to scream for air.

The hand strengthened, flesh beginning to close over it. A body joined the hand, its being as white as the faces that surrounded us. All was white, except for its alluring eyes that had captured me.

_Piko._

"_You have fallen too easily for me_." He whispered with a cold smile. "_You don't even know who I am inside. You're selfish and only care for appearances. Why would I ever love a thing like you?_" His voice echoed and as it resonated, the water became icy and froze around me.

I wanted to tell him how it wasn't my fault. How my feelings had possessed me. I wanted to scream, _It's all your fault!_

But I couldn't breathe in the ice. I tried to inhale, but no air filled me.

Piko caressed the glass around me, not caring if I was dying. He looked into my eyes.

"_Now, you shall suffer pain for your sins. It is forbidden for you to love me. You shall suffer the consequences for this, Kagamine Len._" He grinned cruelly.

My body throbbed. I couldn't protest to his claims. He might have been right in the first place.

The ice then shook violently and shattered as Piko's face faded along with the others, and I was yanked out of the water, being shaken by a pair of hands…

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was so short! Not really, lol. NOW YOU SHALL HAVE TO WAIT MWAHAHA**


	7. Chapter 7

"Len! Len, get up!"

My eyelids flew open and I sat straight up. I could feel cold sweat on my forehead. The coldness of my dream still lingered physically. I looked outside to find a thin layer of snow coating the ground.

"Finally, you're awake! Now hurry, we're gonna be late!" I looked at the direction of the loud voice to find Rin.

She pulled me out of bed abruptly and I stumbled, still coming out of my sleep. The sudden movement caused dizziness as my vision turned black around the edges, but then quickly receded.

"I'm up, I'm up." I grumbled, pulling myself together and shooing Rin out of my room so I could get dressed.

I stood in front of the mirror for who knows how long. My dream replayed in my head over and over. I could still feel the cold waters around me. I could still see his entrancing eyes staring into my soul and tearing it apart painfully.

Rin knocked, making me jump a little. "Len, hurry!" She reminded.

I changed quickly, grabbed my things, and rushed out to meet her.

"You should have gotten a coat… it's really cold outside." I then noticed her jacket, one of which I didn't have with me. "It's too late now." She sighed.

We rushed outside to find a different car parked in front of the dorms; this car was salmon-coloured. I instantly recognised Luka.

We piled into the car, finding ourselves riding with Gumi. The green haired Vocaloid smiled at us, and we returned it.

"Gees, you're gonna make us late!" Luka scolded.

"Well excuuuuuse me, princess! It's Len's fault anyways. He woke up late!" Rin retorted.

I groaned in lethargy and put my head on the back of the seat and closed my eyes. As soon as I did, my dream replayed again. I quickly drew myself out of fatigue to escape the beautifully terrifying eyes that were etched into the back of my eyelids.

"Why were you late anyways, Len?" Gumi asked in her soft feminine voice.

"I… I don't know. I was just tired, I guess, and went back to sleep when I was waking up." I lied. I knew exactly what had caused my tardiness.

Rin sent me a silent message that we would talk later. She knew how I had woken up in a cold sweat, screaming fairly quietly.

"Ah, I know how you feel." Gumi sympathised.

We pulled up to the drop off, exited the car, and waved to Luka as she drove off. The snow crunched softly beneath our feet.

Rin and I departed from Gumi and went to talk in a fairly secluded place.

"Sorry I woke you up so abruptly… I didn't have time to ask what happened." Rin started. "It was a bad dream?"

I nodded. The dream flashed before me again, and I felt the cold rush over me again. Maybe it was just me, or maybe it was just cold by coincidence.

"Well, what happened in your dream?" Rin asked.

"Erg… it was really weird." I began.

"So, I was walking through this swamp-thing. The grass was all dry and stick-like, and there was a little water under it. Oh, and it was really foggy and I heard little voices, but I didn't know what they were saying. Anyways, I came across this pond-thing. I couldn't see in it, and there wasn't any fog on it. And for some reason, I walked into the pond like a zombie or something… and I saw all these weird white faces with pits for eyes and mouths... and they were just floating. Then a bony white hand reached out to me, and I grabbed it…"

I paused. "I suddenly couldn't breathe… and the hand became more human-like and less skinny… and it was actually Piko's hand..."

The image of his eyes came to me again. Rin listened intently.

"He said '_You have fallen too easily for me_. _You don't even know who I am inside. You're selfish and only care for appearances. Why would I ever love a thing like you?_" And the water around me turned into ice…

"I wanted to tell him it wasn't my fault, but I couldn't talk, 'cause I was frozen. Then he said '_Now, you shall suffer pain for your sins. It is forbidden for you to love me. You shall suffer the consequences for this, Kagamine Len._' And he smiled heartlessly... Then the ice shook and broke, and I woke up."

Rin was silent for a minute. "Man, you have a serious crush…" she muttered, chuckling a little.

"Shut up, Rin. I know that." I grunted.

"Hmm… we've got a serious case on our hands. You need some serious help… should we ask the counsellor?"

"No! Absolutely not. That is out of the question. No one else can know about this." I stated.

"Alright, alright! But we have to do something, right? It's already rather serious, even though it has only been a day." Rin asked.

"Well, what can I do?" I questioned hopelessly.

Rin paused and thought for a moment. "I'll try diagnosing you. If we can figure out what's wrong, maybe we can get your little crush under control." She suggested. "I'll figure it out. Your results will come in by tomorrow, at the latest."

"You're not a psychologist…" I muttered in irritation.

"What do you want to change?" Rin asked, pulling out a small notebook and pen out of no where

"I want to get over him. I don't want to ruin our friendship with my stupid crush…" I replied.

She scribbled something in the notebook, and then back up at me.

"What if he were to like you too?" Rin asked.

"Not a chance he would." I replied darkly. But this question _was_ provoking. What would I do, even if the chance was slight?

"Let's say he did. What would you do if he asked you out?"

I paused, considering the question. I had never thought about the remote possibility that he would feel the same for me and reveal it to me. What _would_ I do? It was a difficult question to answer. I hated him more than I loved him. I hated him _because_ I loved him. Would I hate him if my love was to be satisfied?

I didn't know the answer at first. But I put myself into that position. I felt a part of me was filled. I felt better than I had without his existence. I felt complete.

So the answer to the question? "I would say… yes…" I said hesitantly.

She wrote more on the notebook.

"Alright, we don't have any more time. School's gonna start in a couple minutes. I'll think about it, okay?" Rin closed the notebook gingerly and slid it and the pen back into her school bag.

"Don't tell _anyone_, under _any_ circumstances!" I ordered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Well, see ya, I'm gonna be late!" And with that Rin ran off and vanished into the small crowd of Vocaloids.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Omg, I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while! Please forgive me e A e. Here's Chapter 8, and Chapter 9 should be finished soon!**_

Chapter 8

I started to walk to class when I heard quick, soft footsteps approaching me quickly. I turned to find Piko frantically scrambling to get to homeroom. My heart immediately sped up.

He eventually caught up to me, panting. "Sorry, sorry I'm late! I'm not used to this school thing yet!" he stopped to catch his breath.

"It's a little hard to get used to, yeah. Well, you never fully do. In fact, this morning I woke up late, and I've been going here for a few years." I found a strange calmness in my voice I had never been able to manage. Even though I was a wreck on the inside, I had been able to belie my emotions more easily.

We started speed-walking to class. "Why'd you wake up late?" He asked as we came into homeroom.

"Just tired, I guess. I'm just having one of those tired days." I answered coolly.

He nodded and we sat down next to each other. Attendance was checked and the vocaloids in the class chatted amongst themselves.

"Oh, Len, I wanted to ask you something." Piko broke the silence between us. My heart raced in anxiety. "What is it?" I kept my casual tone.

"Yesterday, in the car, you seemed like you were bothered by something. You got all tense and stuff." He recalled. "What happened?"

I searched my head desperately for an excuse.

"I wasn't feeling very good. My stomach had a cramp. It's better now, though." I lied.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad it's better." He smiled sincerely, making me feel slightly guilty.

We were dismissed to go to choir. Piko and I walked wordlessly. There really was nothing to talk about.

We met Rin in choir and exchanged casual conversations before class, then went to our seats to wait for Sensei's instructions.

He walked up to the front professionally and cleared his throat. The Vocaloids fell silent.

"Alright everyone, I have an announcement to make before we begin." He paused. "In a few weeks, we'll be going on vacation. We're going to take a Mediterranean cruise for one week, than go to Italy for another week."

The vocaloids cheered. Piko looked excited too.

"Calm down everyone, it's still a little ways from today. Right now, we're focusing on school." Sensei quieted the class.

"Today, we're deciding some songs for the concert at the end of the year. You can choose any song, as long as it's _appropriate_." He looked at a few students, but I couldn't tell who they were. "Write down suggestions on paper and I'll collect them at the end of class." He said, passing out paper and pencils, than went back to his desk to stare at his computer monitor.

I tapped my pencil against my cheek, searching in my head for songs I liked. I wrote down a few, then folded the paper and slumped down into my chair.

I looked over at Piko, who was having a difficult time thinking of any. After a few minutes of nothing, he got up and walked to sensei. They talked for a few brief seconds, and then he returned to his seat beside me.

"I don't know many songs yet, so he said I can just relax for today." He explained. I nodded in understanding.

Silence stood between us for several minutes. Rin broke it when she sat on the floor in front of us. I could see mischief hiding in her eyes.

"Hey, Piko, how do you like life around here?" She tented her fingers under her chin mischievously.

"I guess it's good." Piko replied. "But maybe it's just because I haven't experienced otherwise."

Guessing by her tone and posture, I knew Rin was up to something. I kept quiet, however.

"Do you have a best friend yet?" Rin questioned him again.

"I guess…" He answered.

"Who? My bro here?"

"… I guess…" He looked slightly embarrassed.

Rin looked at me for a brief moment, seeming to say: _That's a good start._

With that, she got up and went back to her seat, putting her elbow on her leg and resting her face on her hand, having a satisfied expression.

"Sorry, she's a little weird…" I apologised.

"Nah, it's okay." Piko assured me.

I was getting a little scared that Rin would spill the beans, or ruin things for me. My forehead burned and my stomach knotted. I had to talk to her before she did anything stupid.

"You don't mind if I talk to her, do you?" I asked, keeping panic out of my voice.

Piko shook his head. I nodded in recognition and paced over to Rin, who was still sitting with the same smug expression.

"What was that for?" My tone was bitterer than I expected.

"I'm trying to help you out, duh." She didn't seem to get my urgency.

"Rin, don't do that, okay? I'm afraid he might suspect something. I don't want him to know, yet, at least." I explained.

"Want who to know?" A voice asked from behind me.

My stomach knotted tighter. It was Sukone Tei.

Tei's hair was silver, reaching down nearly to her knees. Her eyes were a deep crimson. She wore what looked similar to a girl's school uniform, but it had a red-and-grey colour scheme. She stood several centimetres above me. She would be pretty, if she weren't so strange.

Tei was a yandere, meaning she was overprotective of her crush and expressed it violently. Her crush was me, as I had figured out a while ago. I had been rather shocked that she, a nineteen-year-old, would like me, a fourteen-year-old. It's was a little creepy, along with the rest of her aura.

I did not like her too much. She was quite nosy when it came to my affairs, and I couldn't talk to anyone without her hating that person's guts.

Rin had the same panicked look that I had. Tei was definitely suspecting I had someone else in mind besides her to be in a relationship with, even though I had turned her down. She had made it very clear what she would do to them.

"Tei, this is none of your business." Rin glared at her. She and Tei hated each other, since Rin was very close to me, and Tei was always threatening her.

"If it's his business, it's mine." She bit back coldly. Her mean glare at Rin changed to friendly (in a creepy way, however) when she turned to me.

"So, who are you talking about?" She asked in a soft, kind voice that made my skin crawl.

"No one, Tei. Please leave us alone." I ordered calmly.

"Who is it? Who is it?" An insane fire lit in her eyes.

"I wouldn't tell you anyways because of what you would do to whoever it was." I muttered.

"Oh, so you do have someone?" Her lips curled slightly.

"Go away." Rin and I said in unison.

Tei glared at Rin, and without a word she slipped back into her seat.

"Mark my words…" She whispered. "I'll find out who it is."

I sighed in relief that she was gone. Rin did the same.

"She's _way_ creepy. The things you have to go through…" She groaned.

"Don't take her too seriously. I don't think she's that much of a threat. She's just… well, scary." I assured. I honestly thought she wouldn't do half the things she said she'd do.

"I don't know… we'd better watch out for her. She could be a serious threat to the mission." Rin said.

"'The mission'?" I couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not that big of deal you know—"

"It _is_ a big deal! This could be _the one_!" Rin interrupted.

"Common Rin, I'm just a teenager. There's no way he's 'the one' or whatever. I'm just going through a phase, and I'll get over him sooner or later." I replied, even though I only half believed the things I said.

"Well, you're gonna be a teenager forever. You always have been, and always will be. So you might have the same tastes forever. This could be the only one you'll ever fall for!" She argued.

"Well thanks, Miss Sunshine." I murmured sarcastically.

"Look, why don't we just wait and see? I don't have to make my decisions so early, okay?"

As I finished saying that, sensei stood in front of the class. "Alright, class is dismissed as soon as you turn in your suggestions."

I parted ways with Rin before she could say anything. I swiped my sheet of paper and pencil from my chair and turned them in, and than left class before anyone could follow me.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

For the rest of the day, a suspicion was rising in my mind. Could Rin not be in this for me, but for herself? It seemed unlikely, since she was my sister, but her actions would go with my doubts. I was starting to think she didn't care about my emotions. I had told her how much I was suffering from this.

"Rin, just what do you have to gain from him and I being in a relationship?" I asked her on our way to our dorms.

She was silent. "Why do you ask that?" she inquired.

"You're just not getting my… urgency. I'm totally stressed out, even more than I usually am. I really am not enjoying this at all. But you seem not to care how much I hate this. You're totally for us being in a relationship. Why?" I had said more than I had planned to in a harsher way than I expected.

"You told me you would say yes, did you not?" She seemed untouched and didn't even look at me. Instead, she fiddled with her fingernails, which were painted a bright yellow.

I didn't know how to respond. I _had_ told her I would say yes, I recalled. I suddenly remembered how kind she had been when I confessed, how supportive she'd been.

"Well, yeah, but… you seem too involved." I said.

"I'm your sister. Shouldn't I be involved?" She still didn't look at me while pushing the elevator button.

A strange fury filled me. It spilled out before I could stop it. "No, you shouldn't be involved! This is my problem! You're involved in the wrong ways, too! I don't like this at all! Do you know how much I'm suffering? How would you like it if you fell in love with some new chick you just happened to be in homeroom with? I hate him more than I like him! I can't stand these-…" I stopped myself.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I'm just dealing with a lot right—"

"No, you're right." She stopped me as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "I am too involved." She said as we stepped in and the doors closed again.

"No, Rin, it's fine—"

"No! I've been selfish with this whole thing. My motives changed after I talked with you." Her tone was bitter.

"I no longer cared about you. I only 'helped' you because…" She paused, but didn't finish.

"Why did you help me?" I asked.

"I can't tell you. You would hate me." Her frame tensed up and I could tell she was on the verge of crying.

"I said the same, but you didn't hate me." I countered.

"No, this is different!" She bit back, her voice quivering.

As soon as the doors opened again, she darted out, scurrying into her room and slamming the door behind her. I heard nothing, since our rooms were sound proof. But I suspected she was crying.

I remembered at this exact spot we were in the same situation, but it was reversed.

I wasn't sure what to do at this point. Should I pursue her, or leave her alone? I was dying to know why she would do what she did, and I didn't want to assume things, like I had, which had caused this predicament, even if they were right.

I decided to talk to her, but using different methods.

I walked into my room, pulling my smartphone out of my pocket, preparing to text her. I plopped down on my bed and began typing.

"Rin I really want to know. Please tell me. I told you something I thought would make you hate me. But you don't hate me do you? Please reply quickly."

I sent the message and crossed my fingers.

After a minute or so, my phone buzzed. I sighed in relief, but it wasn't her. It was the one who had caused all of the trouble in the first place, whether he knew it or not.

Piko.

I wondered how he had gotten a hold of my phone number, but I remembered we had exchanged phone numbers in math class today. I groaned in frustration.

The text read "I'm sorry to bother you, but I need help on a few things since I'm new and all."

I sighed and began typing. "Yeah sure. Where's your room?"

A few seconds passed.

"It's the only room in use on floor 3." He replied.

Floor three? There had only been two floors before him. But then I remembered the new button on the elevator.

I got up from my bed as my phone buzzed again. I grunted. It was Rin. Would I have to deal with both of them at once? One of them was quite enough.

I read it in the elevator. "Im sorry Len but I won't tell u. I told u it was different. Plz forget this ever happened. Ill try to do better tho."

I started typing again, frustrated. "I'll forgive you whatever it is. I'll let you off on this one. I have to go, so please don't reply. Just know I love you and I always will no matter what."

I slipped my phone back into my pocket as the doors opened.

The floor smelled of fresh paint and plaster. The walls were completely blank, and a few rolls of wallpaper littered the uncarpeted concrete floor.

A sign read "WARNING: Tread carefully. Under construction."

I tip-toed across the unfinished flooring to the room across from the elevator. It was the only room with a door; all of the other rooms had none.

I knocked and the door opened quickly to reveal Piko, who looked a little exhausted, and the floor was lined with a grey carpet. His room was pretty blank. The walls were painted a silvery-turquoise . I noticed a bed had been moved in, but nothing else.

I also saw a few other vocaloids; Kaito, Big Al, and Gakupo, who were moving a heavy-looking dresser around. A few other pieces of furniture and appliances lined the walls.

"Kiyoteru, Tonio, and Leon couldn't come, and I needed some more help… so that's why you're here. I hope you weren't too busy." Piko escorted me inside.

"No, it's fine." I lied.

He smiled, and went back to what he was doing, which was trying to move a night stand. It barely moved when he pulled it.

"You need some help with that?" I asked.

He sighed. "Yeah, it's a little heavy…"

I went to help him. I grabbed the sides of the night stand. My hands barely touched his. I felt a wave of heat wash over me and I quickly moved them elsewhere. Luckily, he seemed not to notice.

We lifted it together. It _was_ quite heavy. After a minute or two, we had it in the desired location. My muscles were already exhausted.

The three other vocaloids had also just finished moving the dresser into its place and looked even more worn out than we did.

I looked at the pieces of furniture still yet to be moved and felt a swell of sickness in my stomach. We still had a lot to move, and some of it looked very heavy.

I sighed and returned to work after a very short break.

The sun was just setting when I returned to my room. I was quite fatigued and was ready to get some rest. We had finished furnishing his room completely in only a few hours.

I flopped on my bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	10. Chapter 10

I was in the marsh again, this time I was running. I had remembered what had happened last time, and I had to get out.

My running was blind. I couldn't see anything two feet in front of me due to the thick fog. I only saw my feet, sending the shallow water cascading in every direction.

I skidded to a halt as I came upon the pond. The cold feeling swept over me again and I darted in the other direction.

After a short time, I saw the pond again. The cold feeling returned, this time mixed with a hot feeling on my forehead, from anxiety I guessed.

I turned and ran to the left, but ended up in the same place I was before; in front of the pond.

I stood there for a while, watching it. My heart pounded and my breath was quick.

I noticed small bubbles surfacing on the water and soft voices surrounding me, barely audible. A feeling of dread fell over me. I had to face my fear if I wanted to get out, I realised.

"What the hell do you want?!" I cried out in frustration. I walked up to the water and looked into it. My refection stared back at me.

No, it wasn't me in the water. It was Rin, looking back up at me in the same surprised expression I wore.

She copied my every movement, I had come to notice. I waved, she waved. I blinked, she blinked. I sighed, she sighed.

I kicked the chilly water, sending droplets across the pond, and she was gone. I was faced with myself again.

I kneeled and looked across the pond. I couldn't see below the surface of the murky water.

I put one foot into the water, expecting the mire to be shallow at first and gradually lead me to the bottom, but there was no mud and I lost my balance, falling into the frigid pond, adrenaline racing though my body. I would expect it to wake me up, but it didn't.

I could see and breathe perfectly well under the water, but I knew I had to get out before _he_ appeared again.

I started to swim the surface, but something latched to my foot and pulled me under.

I flailed around desperately, trying to free myself, but when I did, I could no longer breathe and the thing latched onto my foot only grasped tighter until my foot numbed. When I went limp, I could breathe again and the thing loosened its grip slightly so it wasn't cutting off my circulation.

I found resistance to be futile. I had no other choice but to let myself be pulled further into the depths of the pond.

I looked down to see what was pulling me, but my lower half was consumed by darkness. The darkness felt sub-zero cold and I shivered and clutched my goose bump-covered arms. It closed over me and I was blind to all around me.

Something caught my eye; a light shining in the distance. I felt the thing latched onto my leg let go.

The light was alluring and started to swim toward it. I froze when I realised this must be another trap.

I swam in the direction I thought was up, but the darkness didn't leave. I now wasn't sure which way _was_ up now. The light waited patiently in the same place it had been a few feet ago.

I tried swimming away from it, but after swimming for a minute or so, it was even closer than when I was a few feet south of me.

"What do you want, dammit?!" I hollered through chattering teeth. I heard no reply.

I wish I had been equipped with a weapon or something, so if there was danger, I would be able to fight it, but I had none. I probably wouldn't be able to fight in these temperatures anyway.

I gave a frustrated sigh, and with crossed and shivering arms I swam to the light. The nearer I got to it, the stronger my curiosity (and dread) grew.

I was face to face with the light. It glowed a pale aquamarine.

I reached my hand out to it mindlessly. It was strangely warm, even though it glowed coldly.

I held it to my face and soaked in its warmth. The feeling of dread left me and was replaced with pure serenity.

The sensation didn't last long. I noticed something in the background; a strange creature that came from the depths of the sea; an angler fish.

It was too late to run (or swim) now. I was just another fish it had caught with its gorgeous light, and now I was going to be eaten.

It was odd how something so hideous could behold something as beautiful as its light.

I noticed its eyes, which were eyeing me cunningly. One was blue, one was green.

That was the last thing I saw before the carnivorous fish devoured me.


	11. Chapter 11

I jolted awake, screaming. My head was sodden with sweat, and my heart was still pounding.

I settled down for a few minutes, getting my heart rate back to normal and wiping the sweat off of my head.

I looked at my clock. It was still 4:21am, long before school started. I realised my covers were thrown off of me and it was still freezing cold. I walked to and checked my thermostat and found it to be at a temperature of 45 degrees f. I turned it back to my preferred temperature; 75 degrees f. I flopped back down on my bed.

I had known it was just a nightmare the whole time, but it still terrified me. Not just the dream itself, but the fact I was lucid dreaming the entirety of the dream, and the fact my thermostat was far below normal temperature when I hadn't touched it at all.

Had someone been messing with my thermostat? I doubted Rin would even pull that kind of prank. Had I sleep-walked? Even if I had, how did I manage to get the temperature down _exactly_ 30 degrees? Or was it some supernatural phenomena that happened between my dream and real life?

All of these possibilities were highly unlikely, and I probably would never find out what happened, so I gave up on formulating theories.

I focused instead on going back to sleep. I tried relaxing myself and clearing my thoughts, but I kept wondering about the meaning of my nightmares.

I finally fell asleep after several minutes of struggling to keep my mind quiet.

I woke up again to the sound of my alarm clock shrieking. I smashed the "off" button and got up right away. Dim sunlight filtered into my room.

I readied myself for the day and exited my room, knocking on Rin's door and waiting for a reply.

After waiting for a while I decided to go on in. I found her still sleeping peacefully.

"Rin, get up! It's time for school!" I shook her violently.

It didn't take much to wake her up. Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly.

She looked at me, a look of panic in her eyes. Had she had a nightmare like I had?

"Oh… okay." She rubbed her forehead and shooed me away so she could get dressed.

I waited for a little while and she finally emerged from her room, ready to go to school.

"We have time, so do you want to go have some breakfast?" I asked.

"Yeah… yeah, that would be fine." She replied, not looking at me and instead averting her gaze to the side.

We didn't usually have breakfast, but every now and then, we would. Normally I woke up late.

We made our way to the café in the dorm building that served breakfast. It was slightly classy, with sophisticated wallpaper and intricate carpeting. Several options were served; oatmeal, cereal, scones, pancakes, muffins, pop tarts, bacon, fruits, you name it. They also had just as many beverages.

There were a few other vocaloids there; Kaito, Meiko, Gumi, Lily, and Miki.

I got a banana-flavoured muffin and apple juice while Rin got bacon and orange juice. We sat down at a table for two.

"Rin, did you have a bad dream?" I asked as soon as we began eating.

"Yes… no… I don't know. I can't remember now." She replied sheepishly and began munching on her bacon. I could sense shame in her voice. "What about you? Did you have a dream?"

She obviously was trying to get out of explaining her dream. I decided to let it go and sighed.

"Yeah. It was kinda like the one I had the night before." I said and took a bite of my muffin.

"Well, tell me about it." She listened intently.

"I was in that swamp again… from the night before. And I kept running into the pond, no matter which direction I went. I went up to the water and instead of seeing my reflection, I saw you… and you were doing the same things as I was. So I kicked the water and you went away and my normal reflection was there. Then I put my foot in the water, expecting there to be a bottom, but there wasn't, and I fell in." Was it just me, or did the room suddenly get cold after I said that?

"Um… so I tried to swim back up again, but something grabbed my foot and pulled me down. I struggled, but I lost my ability to breathe underwater and it squeezed tighter. So I just let it pull me. I eventually was in complete darkness, and the thing let go. And there was a light some ways away. I started swimming towards it, but then I'm like 'It's a trap!' and swam up. But I didn't get out of the darkness. And it was really cold. So I had no idea which way was up. And I swam away from light, but it was even closer than it had been. So I'm like 'Well fine then! Be that way!' and swam to it. It was glowing bluish- greenish, and it was really warm. But then in the background I saw what it belonged to; _an angler fish!_ Then it ate me and I woke up." I finished bluntly.

Rin chuckled a little. "You're a good story teller. 'So then I'm like _It's a trap!_'" She mocked.

"Hey, you're just jealous! I bet you couldn't make awesome Star Wars™ references if you wanted to!" I muffled though a mouthful of muffin.

"Whatever. But still, that is a bit of an odd dream. Can you describe the angler fish a little bit more?" She changed the subject quickly.

"It had one blue eye, and… one green eye. Yeah, I'm pretty sure who _that_ was." I replied.

"Well, that's not a surprise." Rin sighed. "Anything else?"

I thought for a moment and remembered the thermostat. "Oh! Yeah. You know how my thermostat is _always_ 75 degrees?" I questioned.

She nodded.

"Well, when I woke up, I noticed it was really cold. So I checked the thermostat… and it was _45_ degrees!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, that _is_ strange." She said. I nodded and we were silent momentarily. "I didn't change it. I swear!" She added.

"Yeah, I was pretty sure you wouldn't pull that kind of prank." I sighed and finished off my muffin, than chugged down my juice.

A bell sounded and breakfast was over. We carpooled with Kaito and Meiko (luckily, Kaito was driving) and arrived at school quickly.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks were filled with the same things over and over again; my feelings continued to torment me relentlessly, and so did my dreams.

It seemed to get worse every day. The more I got to know Piko, the more I loved him, and the worse my nightmares got.

Tei had been bothering me relentlessly, like my dreams (she was even in a few of them). I could constantly feel her stare burning into the back of my head. But I hadn't told her who "the one" was, in fear she would seriously hurt him, though she probably knew anyway.

As the date approached, the vocaloids began to get excited about our cruise. Me? I was pretty excited too. I would finally get a break from the stress from school. Well, most of it.

Today was the day we left for the Mediterranean. We were all awoken early to get ready and pack our stuff up in order to arrive at the airport at 10:00 am sharp.

My preparations only took an hour, and almost as soon as I finished them, there was a knock at my door. I went to answer it and found it was Rin.

"Hey, Len, I wanna talk to you for a sec." She stated. It obviously wasn't a question, so she barged right in and jumped into my office chair and spun it around a few times, than stopped it to look at me.

I closed the door behind me and sat on the edge of my bed. "Yeah, what is it?"

She was silent a moment, then began talking at a million miles per hour (luckily, I got every word of it). "Okay, I know I said I'd stay out of you guys' relationship, but this has been on my mind forever. You've never told me when, or even if, you were going to confess. When are you going to, if you are going to?" She blurted.

I sighed. "…I just don't know if I should. I don't know what he'll do. I don't want to ruin our relationship." I said.

"Well, that, or you could make your relationship even better." She paused. "It's like… you could either lose a Pokémon, or make it evolve." She looked at me with an _I-just-answered-all-of-the-questions-in-the-univer se_ look.

I couldn't help but chortle. "Our relationship is _not_ a Pokémon, and I don't think it's one of the kinds that can evolve."

Rin huffed. "Alright, then it's like a banana. You could either plant the seeds and lose it, or you could grow even _more_ bananas." She offered.

"Rin, just stop. We'll never go further in our relationship than 'just friends'. The world doesn't work like that. There's only a .01% chance of a possible advancement." I had come to terms with these truths, but it still hurt to say them out loud.

Rin growled in frustration. "If only you knew!" With that, she stormed out, and I was left wondering what in the world she meant.

The time came for us to leave. I walked out of the dorms, weighed down by my condensed luggage, grasping a piece of paper in hand that read:

Car 1: Zero G. Ltd. (Leon, Lola, Miriam, Prima, Sonika, Tonio)

Car 2: Crypton Future Media (Meiko, Kaito, Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len, Megurine Luka)

Car 3: Internet Co. (Kamui Gakupo, Megpoid Gumi, Lily, Gachapoid Ryuto) + Power FX (Sweet Ann, Big Al)

Car 4: AH Software (SF-A2 Miki, Hiyama Kiyoteru, Kaai Yuki, Nekomura Iroha) + B-Plats (VY1 Mizki) + Sony Music Dist. (Utatane Piko)

Car 5: Vippaloid (Kasane Teto, Sukone Tei, Yokune Ruko, Namine Ritsu)

Car 6: Storage

(NOTE: This trip is for Vocaloids and select Vippaloids ONLY)

I was pretty satisfied. Piko would be with Miki plus one of his newer friends, Iroha, and away from Tei, who I'm pretty sure is after him.

Our luggage was loaded onto the storage car and we were boarded onto our assigned cars, which were minivans with seven seats each, meaning only six vocaloids per car (one seat was taken by the driver).

Once everyone was situated, we were off to the airport.

Of course we didn't drive all the way to Spain from Japan.

Vocaloids and UTAUs kind of live in a computer world in an indefinite location. Hardly anyone in the outside world knows it exists. Heck, they don't know _vocaloids_ actually exist. They just think we're made up characters.

All of that aside, the portal bridging our world to the real world formed in the desired location; Spain. We came out onto an isolated road where we could see a seaside town in the distance. A large cruise ship was parked in the small harbour. The huge boat looked out of place there.

The cars drove in single file line up to the harbour. We were escorted out and sent to retrieve our luggage. I was handed a sheet of paper that had my room number, and I dragged my things to room 9.

The room was decorated with an aquatic theme. The walls were covered in a blue wave pattern, and the floor was a light beige carpet. The bed sheets had a similar pattern to that on the wall. On one side of the bed was a nightstand with a lamp and TV remote on it. A flat-screen TV hung on the wall. A wooden desk with an office chair was pushed into the corner. There were two doors; one that led to a walk-in closet, another that led to a bathroom. It seemed like a pretty nice room with all the comforts of home.

Once I had unpacked, I went outside to explore. I was leaving my room when I caught a glimpse of Tei. As she walked past me, I saw her smirk sinisterly at me. She put a finger on the top her head and made a hook shape with it, then made a slashing motion on her neck with the other hand.


	13. Chapter 13

The first few days on the cruise ship were somewhat peaceful.

During that time, I taught Piko how to swim (he didn't know how, since he was new). He caught on pretty quickly. He definitely couldn't beat me in a race, but that was probably because I was such a good swimmer.

But one of the bad things about being a good swimmer is that you have to wear a swimming suit. I don't like to expose myself a lot, so I usually wear one of those swim shirts. Tei was apparently expecting differently and when she came to the pool and saw me, her face turned grim.

Speaking of Tei, I hadn't seen her or any of the other Vippaloids too much (except at the pool a few times) during the last few days. I was starting to get a really bad feeling about her (well, worse than the one I had about her before). I felt like she was planning something sinister, but I was clueless as to her whereabouts, so I could only wait and hope I could stop her.

One night, I couldn't stop thinking about Tei and Piko, so I decided to go out to the deck and found Piko leaning over the side of the boat, gazing into the ocean. His silver hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight.

He heard me coming towards him and turned around. His face showed no emotion until he saw me, and his face brightened slightly.

I stood beside him. "Can't sleep?" I asked.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Me neither. Despite being away from school, I feel more stressed than ever." I admitted.

"Same here…" He looked out onto the sea again and shifted uncomfortably. There was definitely something on his mind.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke. "Len, I have something I've been meaning to say for a while…" He mumbled, and I could sense slight shame in his voice.

My heart raced. Could he be confessing to me? _No, Len, don't jump to conclusions,_ I told myself.

His grip on the railing tightened and he took a deep breath.

"Len," he said firmly. "I… I… ugh! I don't know how to say this…" He gritted his teeth in frustration. "Will you… will you…" he trailed off, and I saw his eyes begin to water. I had never seen him so emotional before. My heart pounded loudly in my ears.

"Will you be m-?" His voice was cut off by a gunshot, than a scream. Unfortunately, that scream belonged to him.

Piko clenched his stomach and I noticed blood starting to stain his clothes. He crumpled to the ground as I stood frozen in shock.

I heard footsteps coming towards me. I looked in the direction of the noise.

It was none other than Sukone Tei.

Suddenly I remembered the motion she had made a few days ago. The hook shape on her head, the slashing across the neck… how could I have been so stupid?! She meant she was going to kill Piko! Rin was right… this girl _was_ dangerous. And now, it was too late.

I looked back at Piko to find he was making short, strained breaths. He was dying. I got out of my shock and kneeled beside him, removing his hand. His blood was everywhere. I ripped off my shirt, folded it, and pressed it onto Piko's wound. The cold sea wind made me shiver, along with the feeling of dread that had formed in my chest.

"Len… I never got to ask you…" He coughed more blood and laughed. "Well, I guess it's too late for that now… I… love you…" He coughed again.

Tears streamed down my face. "Piko… I… love you too…" I sobbed. "Piko, I'm sorry… I couldn't save you…" My tears splattered against his cheeks

"It's… not your… fault…" He trailed off. His beautiful eyes fixed on mine and didn't move. His breath stopped, along with his heartbeat. I realised that he was dead.

Rage and sadness filled me and I looked back at Tei, who was patiently waiting, polishing her gun which she had shot Piko with.

"You…! You… sick bitch!" I propped Piko's body against the railing and stood to face her.

"This is only the beginning, Kagamine." A sickening grin spread across her face. "I've been watching you for the past few weeks… and I finally figured it out. But I didn't expect it to turn out this well! I snuck out here to kill him, but then you came, so I hid. He began confessing to you… right in front of my eyes! It was the perfect opportunity. You would be there to witness it, when you were so close… and so, he died a tragic death, right after you confess your love to each other. It's beautiful how love and death combine so nicely." She slipped her gun back into its case.

"Why… why would you do this to me?! If you really loved me, you wouldn't have put me through this!" I cried.

She chuckled sickly sweet. "It's for your own good, Len. The only way you'll be happy is with me." She stepped toward me and I backed up against the railing.

"I would never be happy with you." I said darkly.

She chortled and ran her fingers down my bare chest, making me shudder. "You will, because I will be the only one left for you." Her face was inches from mine, but I had nowhere to back away.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Terror had found its way into my voice.

"I'm going to sink this ship, with all of the vocaloids in it. And they'll all die. I've bolted their doors down. The only ones who will survive are you and my fellow Vippaloids. They have all chosen to work with me. They are sick of you Vocaloids getting all of the attention. But Miku and Rin will come with us… so you can see them die in the most brutal way possible." She snickered.

"No… I won't let you!" I aimed a punch at her head, but she dodged it.

"Oh, Len. Don't you see? You've already lost. The Vippaloids have already taken control of the ship, and it's going _down_." She jabbed a finger downwards to emphasise.

"Tei… please… please don't! I'll do anything!" I begged.

Tei slapped me across the cheek. "Don't bribe me, Kagamine." She ordered coldly. She grabbed a walkie-talkie from her pocket and spoke into it. "Sink it."


	14. Chapter 14

The boat groaned and began to tilt.

I knocked the walkie-talkie out of Tei's hand and it slid across the deck. We made a beeline for it, and I grabbed it just as it was about to fall off of the boat and tumble into the black water.

"Guys! Is this really what you want? Please, knock some sense into each other and—!" Tei snatched the device out of my hand. "Don't listen to him! Sink it, now!" She ordered.

I heard silence on the other end. I hoped they were at least considering sparing the vocaloids.

After a few moments of silence, "Roger that." Teto's voice came through, and the ship tilted further.

I rushed to grab Piko's body. I knew he probably wouldn't get a proper funeral, along with the other vocaloids, but I had to try to get him home. I hoped with all of my heart one of the Vippaloids would stop this catastrophe so I didn't have to worry about funerals.

I heard faint screaming of familiar voices. Some of the vocaloids had woken up and were struggling to get out of their rooms. My heart ached and I began to cry, holding Piko's lifeless body close to me. "I'm sorry… I let all of you down…" I muttered.

Tei seemed to care not of my feelings. She grabbed my shirt collar and dragged me to the edge of the boat. "Ruko's here. She already has Miku and Rin." She assured.

Sure enough, I saw a small motorboat pulled up next to the sinking ship.

Ruko escorted us aboard. To my surprise, neither Tei nor Ruko seemed to mind having a dead person amongst them. Miku and Rin were gagged and their entire bodies were tied in rope. Miku grunted loudly and Rin screamed when she saw me and Piko, but I couldn't find the strength to look either of them in the eye. The guilt would kill me. Our boat began moving again.

We pulled up to the deck closest to the control room. Teto shimmied out of it and quickly hopped into the boat.

"Where's Ritsu?" Tei asked darkly.

"Ritsu? Ah, he's just finishing the job." Teto replied casually.

We waited for a few moments, but suddenly, our boat jerked away from the cruise ship. I saw Teto pull something from her pocket; a walkie-talkie. I realised they were trying to save the vocaloids.

"_Pull it back u-!_" Teto was cut off by two gunshots, then two screams. The screams belonged to Ruko and herself. Tei had shot both of them through the stomach, just as she had done to Piko. Miku and Rin thrashed in panic.

"Traitors! I thought you wanted to crush vo-!" Tei was interrupted by a loud groan. The boat was pulling back up! I silently thanked Ritsu, Ruko, and Teto, even if they _had_ agreed to help Tei at first.

"_You fools!_" Tei screamed angrily. "_Do you know what the vocaloids are going to do to us for this?!_"

Teto coughed blood and spoke up. "I don't care what they do to us. Heck, we're already dead. But it can't be much worse than the pain of guilt I have right now."

"Yeah, I agree. I should have known better than to help a psychopath like you. I forgot all about the kindness that the vocaloids show us. I was blinded by my desire to be popular. You're our real enemy here." Ruko croaked and died, as did Teto.

Tei looked back at the ship, back at the two dead Vippaloids, back at me and Piko, and then began to weep.

"I'm sorry, Len… I got carried away… like Ruko said, I was blinded by my desire…" She sobbed. "I know you'll never forgive me, so…" She lifted her gun to her head, pulled the trigger, and died instantly. I was now surrounded by dead Vippaloids and two gagged, screaming girls. I was too shocked to react.

I looked down at Piko. He was still covered in his own blood, but the bleeding had stopped. I lifted his shirt slightly so I could see the wound.

There was lots of blood, but I saw no wound.

As I was beginning to wonder how this had happened, Piko groaned and closed his eyes, than opened them again. Rin and Miku screamed louder.

Happiness overwhelmed me and I began to cry tears of joy as I held him close. I felt his heartbeat as I did so. Miku and Rin made a sound like "Awwww."

"Len… what… happened…?" He mumbled.

I stopped squeezing him and he sat up on his own.

I wiped away my tears. "Well… you kind of died." I laughed dryly.

He blinked a few times. "Ohhh, I remember now…" He held his forehead and looked over at the cruise ship.

"How'd we get out here?" He asked, then looked at Tei, Ruko, and Teto's dead bodies, then at Miku and Rin and gasped. "And what happened to them?!"

I chortled. "It's a long story." I inched over to the controls of the boat and drove us back to the ship. We found Ritsu waiting for us.

"Hook these onto the sides of the boat!" He called as he threw down two ropes with latches at the end. We did as he instructed and he hulled us up slowly.

Piko and I tumbled onto the deck, as did Miku and Rin and the three dead girls. When Ritsu saw his dead companions, tears filled his eyes.

I patted his shoulder. "They'll come back; that's how Piko's still standing." I assured.

He looked at me sadly. "They're going to be okay? Promise?"

"I hope so. I think it should be the same with Vippaloids as it is with Vocaloids." I said.

He nodded and went to kneel beside the girls, waiting for them to wake up.

I untied Miku and Rin's bonds and both of them clung to me like leeches, yelling things I couldn't make out.

I looked back at Piko, who was standing beside me. The girls let go and looked hopefully at me and Piko.

"So… you'll still be my boyfriend, right…?" He asked hesitantly.

"Are you kidding? Yes!" I hugged him tightly, and he did the same to me.

"Finally!" Rin did a fist pump.

Apparently we stayed that way for a long time, because when we let go of each other, the Vippaloids, Miku and Rin were gone. I hoped they had come back to life; all of them, including Tei.

I yawned and suddenly realised how tired I was. I noticed Piko looked rather fatigued as well.

"I'm going to bed, how about you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm pooped." He agreed and we both walked off to our rooms.

As we departed, I pecked his cheek. "I love you."

"I… I love you too." He replied with a warm smile as I closed myself in my room.

I flopped on my bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	15. Chapter 15

For the first time in a long time, I was free of nightmares. I hadn't remembered sleeping this peacefully in a long time.

When I woke up, I noticed my room was unbalanced; everything was on one side of the room. I immediately remembered what had happened the previous night and bolted out of bed and onto the deck after I threw on some clothes.

We had apparently pulled into a dock. I saw the four Vippaloids (they were all alive) lined up, their wrists chained. Policemen escorted them off of the boat.

I was glad to see they were all fine, but it was a little sad to see them being arrested. They were just misguided, that was all. But they _had_ almost killed off all of the vocaloids, except for me.

But if vocaloids couldn't die, what would have happened to them? Would they have had to undergo eternal suffering, drowning over and over again? The thought made me shudder.

As I was going back to my room, I noticed all of the doors were unbolted.

I decided to talk to Rin when I saw her door. I knocked and she opened the door quickly.

"Oh my gosh, we have to talk." She said and escorted me inside. I noticed her room looked almost the same as mine; same wall, same furniture, but all on one side. She shut the door behind us.

"Oh my gosh! I never thought either of you would confess! And I can't believe he did it instead of you!" Rin squealed.

"Wait, how'd you know he li-?" She cut me off.

"Piko told me he liked you a week or so ago. And I knew you liked him too. But both of you told me I couldn't tell the other in any circumstances. So I was kind of stuck." She explained. "But I'm glad everything worked out!" She added.

"Rin, from now on, please stay out of our business, okay?" I sighed.

"But you're my brother! I have to know what you're up to!" Rin frowned.

"No, you don't. You're not entitled to my life." I replied darkly.

Rin crossed her arms. "Fine." She huffed. "But you can always come to me with your relationship problems~." She said.

"You are not a counsellor." I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" She changed the subject.

"I guess that would be a good idea." I agreed and walked out of her room.

"Oh, Rin, one more thing…" I said as I was departing.

"Yes?"

"Don't tell _anyone_ about us! Tell that to Miku too!" I ordered.

She chortled. "Sure thing. I'll call her."

A few seconds after I knocked, Piko's door opened. His face brightened when he saw me. He invited me in.

"You _have_ to fill me in what happened while I was dead." He said and closed the door behind me. He had said it the same way you would say "You _have_ to fill me in on what happened at that party."

"Right…" I sighed and took a seat on the office chair.

"How long was I dead anyway?" He asked.

"Like… five minutes or something?" I estimated. "Worst five minutes of my life." I groaned.

"Alright, tell me everything." He sat on the edge of his bed.

I explained everything; Tei's plan, the ship almost sinking, Ruko, Tei and Teto's deaths, while he listened intently.

"Where are the Vippaloids now?" He asked as I finished speaking.

"I think they got arrested." I shrugged.

"Hmm, well, I guess they kinda deserved it… I wonder where they're going." He replied.

"Yeah, me too." I agreed.

A brief silence followed, and I went to lie down next to him.

I grasped his hand gently as he did the same. A feeling of satisfaction washed over me, like the waves that splashed against the sides of the boat. It washed away all of my pain, anxiety, anger and hate, leaving behind pure serenity. All of my suffering had led up to this moment; when I could finally be at his side, not just as a friend, but something much more.

I felt tears of joy spill out of my eyes. Piko looked over at me and gasped. "Len! What's wrong?" He exclaimed, jolting upwards and wiping away my tears. I laughed and held his hands before they could smear them further.

"You just… have no idea what I had to go through for this." I sobbed, and my tears of joy turned into tears of sorrow as I buried my face into his chest and clutched his back tightly with my hands. I could feel his heart pounding.

He held me close as the bad emotions I had suffered from for the last few weeks dribbled from my eyes.

"I know," He murmured soothingly into my flaxen hair. "I know."

**~END~**

* * *

**_Well, that's it folks! I finally finished something! Woot!_**

**_I was looking back on it and I realised how many errors and plot gaps there were. My weakness in writing is that I think of a beginning and an end, but not the stuff in between! So I'm sorry; I hope you enjoyed it anyway._**

**_For those of you going "I WANT MOAR HOW COULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT," I will make a sequel! I'm still developing a plot, and if you give me some of your ideas, I could include it in the next fic!_**

**_This is Digiatsu, signing off! Please review and help me with the next fic! ~ ^ 7 ^ ~_**


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